The Lady Rowena and Urdric the Wild

Like Epic of Gilgamesh meets Lady and the Tramp

The Town of Bristol, and Beyond

Barfights, kindly monsters, and a stroll in the woods

12

DEC/09

(The date is totally wrong, I just made something up)

This was our second game at D&D, and the most recent.

Rowena and Urdric had only just arrived in Bristol, and stopped at a local pub for refreshment. Their plan was to meet with the Mayor, and see what they could do to help, and what information could aid them. Suddenly, flaming bottles smashed through the windows, followed by evilly-grinning Goblins – creepy buggers smaller than Orcs, though somewhat larger than Kobolds. Behind these rushed Hobgoblins, who wasted no time in smashing up the joint. Until Rowena and Urdric did something about it. The pair worked together, each assisting the other, quickly vanquishing the bad guys. Again, Urdric did everything he could to protect Rowena from any harm, which she disliked; Urdric also followed every one of Rowena’s instructions in battle without question, which she rather enjoyed.

When they exited the pub, barrels full of flaming pitch exploded around them, hurled from around the corner. They saw their assailant, a great monstrous Troll, yoked to the axle of a wagon. The wagon was loaded with more of those pitch-barrels, and a pair of Hobgoblins were handing the Troll more barrels, and setting them alight with torches, when they were shooting arrows at our heroes. They hobgoblins were quickly subdued by Rowena’s quick thinking and flashing flail, and Urdric’s mighty hammer, and surprising skill in magics. The Troll seemed to be unbeatable, no matter how the pair beat on him. However, as Urdric, short on ranged weapons and with no desire to approach the brute, took up a flaming barrel stave to hurl, Rowena noticed the Troll’s reaction: total fear. They used his fear of exploding his wagon to calm him down, and learned that he wasn’t a cruel beast; rather, he was cruelly used, his wife held in prison and he was chained to that vile wagon and forced to fight. In exchange for his freedom, and news of his dear hairy Troll-wife, he offered up the location of the Hobgoblins’ base, the crypt beneath the ruins of Rivenroar Castle.

The townspeople thanked Rowena and Urdric, and told them their recent troubles were no random raids, but the return of an old menace, The Red Hand, a Hobgoblin army that had ravanged the land, until the folks of Bristol stopped them, and took some Trophies of their victory. The Red Hand stole these Trophies during their latest raid, as well as several of the townspeople. Of course, Rowena and Urdric set out to find this Castle, aided by a few members of the Hunter’s Guild. During their trek out through the wilderness towards the Castle, Urdric came across a Woodland Shrine, bearing two objects he was certain were meant for him: a sturdy shield and a fur cloak. Rowena seemed be luck as well, for as they approached the ruins of Rivenroar Castle, a wall collapsed, revealing an un-spoiled shrine and two more objects: an incense thurible and sapphire-set circlet. So outfitted, they dove into the crypt beneath the Castle.

Battling the Hobgoblins of the Red Hand, and their monstrous allies of Goblins, Kobolds, and Drakes – dumb beasts resembling giant lizards or teeny dragons, as well as the magical traps set by the previous castle occupants to safeguard their tombs, Rowena and Urdric found the first of the townspeople, an aged man called Terrence, badly treated by his captors. Not wanting to leave him on his own, and not wanting to risk his tagging along with them while they ventured farther into the crypt – as well as being nearly exhausted in the constant fighting and traps – they returned to Bristol. They put Terrence in the care of his neighbors and left news that the prisoners – many of the prisoners anyway – were still alive. They set back out to the ruins, stopping at nightfall, only a few hours’ march from the crypt. As they stopped, Rowena looked up at the stars…